TRP: Larkin and Sugar (Counterpoint)
December 7, 2018 Jen: at 2:58 PM Day 137, Sugar has returned to Mishka's estate and is out shopping in town. Autuumn could decide if it wanted to be nice or shitty. Yesterday had been almost hot but today... Larkin pulled her hood and collar up against the wind as she walked across the market. There was sea spray in it and it stung her skin. Should've stayed inside, really, but there was no food at her place and her stomach had eventually won the battle. She eyed the stands in passing, trying to decide what to get. Something to store maybe, so she'd not be force to go out for food again should the weather turn worse. Autuumn storms were rolling in for sure. She stopped next to a fruit merchant when a spot of pink appeared in the corner of her eye. Slinking closer confirmed her suspicion: there was that girl Sugar, prancing around in the cold in her flimsy dress like it were a damn spring day. Larkin's first instinct was to ignore her and move one but... well, actually she could have a word with her. Larkin hadn't seen Goro in weeks but the image of what a pityful sod he'd been had stuck and for that, it seemed wrong for Sugar to look this damn contented. She'd just see what Sugar was up to and maybe sniff out what happened in the mean time. Larkin moved closer still and followed, staying a few paces behind her and keeping a couple of people between them. Coyote: at 3:04 PM This was a good day, Sugar thought. Zero problems. Just going to grab some fruit for Hansel— he didn’t like the savory meat dishes that Samantha cooked— and maybe grab a neat trinket for Roddy, maybe buy a new bangle for Mishka. She thought she caught a glimpse of something over her shoulder and stopped. It looked like someone was following her a few feet back. Mishka had told her: When someone experienced is following you, they’ll stay a ways back in the crowd to make sure they aren’t spotted. He said: Make sure you don’t walk into an alley alone. She hummed cheerfully. Gosh, Mishka was so paranoid. Still, she paid for her things and then headed up the hill towards the city gates, so she could return to Mishka’s estate just outside the walls. Jen: at 3:20 PM Hm, headed towards the gate that exited towards Haeth's house. Probably on the way back there. Sugar had turned around a few times, looking... looking like she suspected. Had Larkin let her game slip that much? It was probably time to drop the act then. Waging on Sugar sticking to the main street, Larkin slunk off into a side alley and passed Sugar by quickly moving down the parallel street. Before the pink girl got to a narrows in the road, Larkin stepped out of the nearest alley mouth, coming up in front of Sugar and heading straight towards her. She kept her hands in her pockets and her face neutral. Coyote: at 3:26 PM Oh. Larkin Basha. Nixie’s tail lashed, but she made it stop. She slowed a bit, but made sure to keep walking, keep her face disinterested. “Oh, Larkin,” she said. “Gosh. Can you help me with something? Um, I think there’s someone following me... oh. Oh! That was you, wasn’t it?” Her tail lashed again. “That’s neat how you do that.” Normal people would probably be a bit weirded out, she supposed, but Sugar had never had to fear danger that much. People generally recognized her enough not to try to mug her. And those that didn’t learned pretty quick. Jen: at 3:48 PM "Dunno what you're talking about," Larkin said but narrowed her eyes at Sugar. So she had noticed her but apparently found it neat. Would she also find it neat to get kidnapped again, or worse? "You been back for long? We kinda supposed you were gone for good." Coyote: at 4:02 PM “Oh yes,” Sugar said. “Me too. Yeah. Dead, I thought. It’s fine though. Everything’s excellent now.” She stopped walking. “Um, how um. How are you?” Jen: at 4:09 PM Excellent, huh? Well, wasn't that fantastic for her. Larkin smiled. "Good. I'm good. Was your voyage fun, then?" Coyote: at 4:13 PM “Nope,” Nixie said. “It sure fucking wasn’t. Anyway, bye.” She waved and headed off towards Mishka’s estate again. Jen: at 4:17 PM Well, that was... unexpected. Alright, Larkin was being weird here but she'd still supposed, Sugar would stay and talk. Unsuspecting as ever. Without losing another beat, Larkin turned on her heel to stick to Sugar's side, walking with her. "Too bad. Supposed it must've been a real blast, since you didn't have time to check in. Four weeks. Some of us have been really fucking worried, y'know." Coyote: at 4:24 PM Oh. Sugar thought the conversation was over. Whoops. She hoped Larkin didn’t think she was rude. She stopped. “The mirror doesn’t work that far away,” she said quietly, just looking at Larkin. “I tried to open it. My mother lives four weeks north, Larkin. At the edge of the Frozen Wastes.” Jen: at 4:38 PM When Sugar halted, so did Larkin. "What, and a sorceress like you doesn't have any other ways? Any-" she napped her fingers in the air, "neat tricks so you can let someone who'd catch a fucking arrow for you know you haven't ditched them?" She paused and tilted her head at Sugar, sneering. "Or have you? Fucking ballsy of you to come back here then." Coyote: at 4:46 PM Sugar spun, eyes narrowed. She stood there for a second, angry. It was the end of what Larkin has said: Ballsy if you to come back here. Yeah. Larkin was right. It was. Sugar moved closer, refusing to break eye contact, until she was only a couple feet away. Then she stopped. “Who’ve I ditched?” Sugar said. “What, you?” It wasn’t like Larkin had come to see her either. Jen: at 5:00 PM Larkin snorted. "Not me, genius. Do I look like I'd catch an arrow for you? Please." She stared back, sneer turning into a snarl. "You don't know who? Forgot him already, have you? Goro's been a fucking bundle of nerves because of you even before you left and then you went and made it even worse. Good fucking job, Nixi. Really showed him what he's getting for his love." Coyote: at 5:11 PM Sugar froze. She didn’t step back, but she also didn’t step forward again. “He— what?” she said. Her expression plummeted. “I upset him?” She didn’t particularly care about the insults. Good fucking job, Nixie. She’d heard it before. It barely registered. Not important. Larkin said Goro was upset. Larkin was angry. She’d made Larkin upset. “I’m sorry,” she said, not looking away. “Are you— okay?” Quietly and gently. Jen: at 5:25 PM "I? Am I okay?" Larkin almost laughed. Fuck Mask, could you believe that girl? Like he'd never existed. Larkin had just told her she'd fucked someone up who had loved her - and probably still did, the fool - and Sugar had no clue. Asked if Larkin was okay. "Yeah, I'm good. Didn't get my fucking heart ripped out four weeks ago, that kinda helps." Coyote: at 6:10 PM Nixie didn't back down an inch. She kept looking directly at Larkin without breaking eye contact. "Larkin Basha," she said, just watching her. "You shouldn't say things like that to me." Jen: at 6:22 PM What the fuck, was Sugar trying to threaten her? Fucking adorable. Like she had any right to be mad. "Why not? You gonna cut me with that ice knife of yours?" Larkin slid a step closer, teeth bared and hands out of her pockets now. "Go on," she said, voice low."Do it. Show me what happens when you let Nixbixitus Smirnova know how bad she fucked up." Coyote: at 6:40 PM Nixie blinked. Huh. That wasn't what normally happened. She stared at Larkin. Yeah. Huh. There was a vicious, hot feeling inside her. It almost felt good. Nixie felt her sharp canines with her tongue. The feeling only got hotter when she looked at Larkin's face, her bared teeth. "I mean," she said. "Do you want me to?" Jen: at 6:48 PM Larkin squinted and cocked her head. Was... was that... Sugar was staring at her lips, licking her own teeth, like she was fucking flirting or something. The hell was going on with that girl? She shook her head, irritated. "No, fucking weirdo, I'm letting you know you can't pull this shit on me. I'm not scared of you, get it?" Coyote: at 7:16 PM Huh. Nixie silently filed that information away. Not intimidated by the magic thing. She would add that to the very short list of things she knew about Larkin Basha. Nixie mentally filed away the information about Goro, too. He was more fragile than he looked; she had realized this a while ago. Like a hedgehog covered in spines. He stuck out those bladed points to keep people away, but underneath, he was... soft, and easily hurt. Once he got back from vacation, she needed to apologize. She needed to treat him gently. “It’s fine if you’re not scared of me,” she said, tilting her head a little. “I’m not going to fight you. What if I—accidentally killed you, or something? That’d be awful. I like you. I was only asking. I don’t want to hurt you unless you want me to.” She tilted her head, looking up and down, at the various places she might cut by accident—Larkin’s side, her chest. Her eyes lingered on Larkin’s neck. She met Larkin’s eyes briefly. Then she turned to head towards Mishka’s estate. “Ladies don’t fight like alley cats in the streets.” Jen: at 7:36 PM Listen to her talk like she was someone big and not some half-grown, blue eyed pub begging to get her throat slit the moment she stepped off the main street. Ridiculous. "Yeah, listen you can play lady all you like but I'm not one," Larkin said, and since she wasn't done with her yet, she moved in front of Sugar to block her way. "Don't know what your fucking deal is here but just in case you didn't get the hint," Larkin stabbed a finger into Sugar's forehead, wishing she could do more to vent her anger, "you broke my br-, my best friend's heart and I find it really fucking weird that you don't seem to fucking care at all." She snarled again, close to Sugar's face. "Only reason I'm not hurtin you, and not on fucking accident, missy, is he'd flip his shit over it. And I fucking care for Goro. You should try it some time." Now she was done. Larkin huffed out her breath and stepped back, ready to fuck off. Coyote: at 8:02 PM When Nixie was small, sometimes Selkie would cut her hair. Or play pranks on her. Or take her things and not give them back-- important things, like her notes. Or cut up her dresses. It took Nixie a while to figure out why Selkie did it. It wasn't about stealing her things to have them-- or punishing her-- or anything like that. It was about getting a reaction. Selkie would just kept cutting her until she struck a nerve. Mishka said not to get angry at people like that. He said it was useless, and it gave them what they wanted. Better to disengage and back off. But she snapped. Too angry, now. She reached out and snatched Larkin by the front of her shirt while she was half stepped-back, held her there. "I'm not stupid," she said. "I know you're trying to provoke me. What, I'm not breaking down into tears? Why would I? You're sitting here throwing it in my face and taunting me. You think-- what? I ought to break down in front of you?" She shoved Larkin back, ice-cold. "I am upset," she said, furious with herself. Mishka says be dignified. "And I care about Goro. Fuck you. I missed him-- and I didn't even fucking know he... he cared like that. I thought he'd miss me, I didn't think--" It didn't matter. Nixie's hands fisted. Nixie had slept with a lot of men since coming to Skyport, and none had sought her out after bedding her. She was pretty. Like an ornament. She was adorable, and they thought she was easy. That was the word they used: easy, easy, easy. She had thought-- she had thought that once she slept with Goro, he'd lost interest, or he'd think she was trash, so she hadn't slept with him. Instead, she'd just spent an entire night engineering fireworks to set up the perfect first kiss. Instead, she had spent ages making in her diary, doodles pictures of him, trying to imagine things he liked, gifts to buy him, dates to take him on. And it'd been over too quick. She'd wanted to kiss him on the beach that day. She should've kissed him on the beach that day. Before she'd left. Too quick. "I didn't think he cared like that," Nixie said. "I thought... I thought once I slept--" That wasn't Larkin's business. "I thought he'd lose interest. So I didn't. But I didn't think he'd care to-- have his heart ripped out, you said. You want to see me upset? Fine. I am upset. I'm just not stupid enough to fucking cry in front of you." December 8, 2018 Jen: at 8:10 AM Not stupid enough to not cry in front of her? Like that was what this was about. Alright, maybe she'd have been less angry if Sugar had cried, because it would've shown her that she cared. And now she would have Larkin believe, she just did not fucking know how much she meant to Goro? Larkin almost laughed again but it wasn't funny, not even in a cynical way. And the worst thing was, Sugar didn't even seem to be lying. She scowled and took another step back, out of Sugar's reach. Her reaching out had been surprising and Larkin did not like that one bit. "You didn't fucking realize?" She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, right. Sure. Know what, anyone else I'd call a fucking liar now, 'n tell 'em to think of something more believable. But it kinda fits you. You walk around seeing only what you wanna see, the girl who got kidnapped and thought you were on a damn cruise. A fucking blind man could see how much Goro cares for you." Larkin scoffed and threw up her hands. "You're idiots! Blind fucking idiots, the both of you." Coyote: at 8:57 AM Nixie stared at her, expression not changing. Cold. She said, “Larkin, I don’t know what fairytale life you think I’ve lived, but no one in my fucking life has cared about me like that. I’ve got two sisters and neither of them came after me when my own fucking mother threw me on the street. Why would I think— why would I know—“ She gritted her teeth. She should have thought. She should have known. “And I’m already aware you think I’m an idiot,” Nixie said. “Everyone thinks I’m a pretty idiot. It’s nothing new. They’re either fucking scared of me or— they want to fuck me, and then they lose interest because I’m too easy. No one has ever— I didn’t think Goro—“ She stopped, helplessly. “How was I supposed to know?” Everyone either didn’t take her seriously or took her too seriously. She had been so lonely, before this. She missed the way Goro looked at her. She missed how Goro treated her like a regular person, not a thing to fuck or a weapon to use. They all did. She missed Roddy, and she had missed Hansel, and she had missed Raef. And in her own weird way, she had missed Larkin. Jen: at 9:53 AM What a tantrum. Something about what Sugar said resonate with Larkin but the way she held herself - angry, self-righteous. Like she was the only person in the world with a shitty childhood and it would excuse everything. Pretty idiot indeed; pretty and smart and still a damn idiot. Was that what Goro found so endearing? The capability for cleverness paired with the utter refusal to use it? Freak. Still, Larkin felt her anger slip and she turned the sneer into a blank expression. "Man, most people I know grew up without someone to care for them," Larkin said after a beat of silence. "None of 'em turned into a goober like you, though. Opening your eyes some times would've helped." She sighed and turned her face away. Licked her lips, trying to decide what to do here. Reassure her? Tell her it'd be fine, that Goro wasn't one of those people? Give Sugar a crash course on how to read people? Well, fuck it if Larkin would try and spoon-feed her some common sense here. She'd said all there was to say and if Sugar didn't get it even now, that was hardly Larkin's problem. She just hoped it wouldn't lead to more heartbreak for Goro. Larkin waved a hand. "Anyway, I'm fucking done here, so get lost. Go cry a bit where I can't see you or whatever." Coyote: at 10:00 AM "It's hardly my fault let your shitty childhood turn you into a jackass," she said. "You want me to be ashamed? Fuck you." And she turned on her heel and left. Jen: at 10:36 AM Day 139 After that unpleasant clash with Sugar, Larkin would've preferred to stay away from her for a while. More than just two days at least. It wasn't like she felt guilty for what she'd said to her; she'd meant every word of it, though she might have said it a bit... less aggressive. Larkin expected to have driven Sugar off with it. Made her hate Larkin even (or rather, dislike. Not sure if Sugar was capable of actuall hating someone). So when she checked into the warehouse for the day and the guy who had the door told her, some cute, pink cotton ball of a tiefling had come looking for her, Larkin couldn't imagine what Sugar might want. Still, her curiosity won over her need to stay away from bullshit so an hour later, Larkin stood leaned against the wall of the bathhouse Sugar had last been seen entering. She'd thought of going in, checking to confirm she was indeed in there, but they'd make her strip at the entrance and that was too much of a hassle to go through just for a chat. Which would be rather short anyway. Instead, she waited outside, watching the people on the sidewalk and scraping lines into the gravel with her boot tip. Coyote: at 10:51 AM Sugar left her hair loose as she dressed; it was thick and wet, and would dry as she walked. She dressed back into her clothing: more subdued today, but equally fine as usual. Black breeches and a loose gray sweater. Gold tips on her horns. She did not wear any of the bracelets or bells today, though. Too easy to grab when she was walking the streets. Made her too much of a target for thieves. She buckled her knives back around her waist, then headed outside. She wore her soft fox-fur jacket today. It wasn't necessary; cold had never bothered her. But it looked nice. Larkin Basha was waiting outside. Sugar glanced at her, waved absently, and kept walking. Then she stopped, jerking. She doubled back. Her face split into a smile. "Larkin!" Oh. Wait. No. No, she was mad at Larkin. Or-- she was supposed to be. Damn it. Jen: at 10:58 AM Larkin started to follow when Sugar walked past her - acting like she'd not just been looking for Larkin a few hours ago - but had to stop short not to bump into her when the girl turned and jumped at her. What the hell. Larkin half-turned her head, eyeing Sugar sideways. "Yeah. Hi. You wanted something from me?" Coyote: at 11:02 AM "Oh. Yes. I did," Sugar said. She wrung out her hair on the cobblestone, squeezing the last few drops from it. Her nails were clear and white-tipped done, just done. They were still sticky with paint, and they caught on strands of her hair. "Listens. I'm sorry I snapped at you before and called you a jackass..." Then she stopped. "No, I mean, actually, not. I'm not sorry I called you a jackass. You were a jackass." Wide and innocent blue eyes. "But that's fine." She expected it; it was fine. Jen: at 11:11 AM "Uhm... " That was fine? Alright, maybe she'd been a jackass. Still not sorry for it, no. Weird that Sugar would find that fine, though, after correctly identifying this feeling towards her at least and snapping at Larkin over it. "Well... Okay then. I guess," Larkin said slowly. "'s that it?" Coyote: at 12:20 PM "No. You were right about Goro. I should have noticed. I'm trying to think of how to cheer Goro up when he gets home. I mean, I'm going to apologize. But maybe also. A gift?" Sugar said. "I wouldn't know what to give him, though. You're his best friend. What would he like? Maybe... maybe like a fancy dagger. Or maybe--" Maybe something more... romantic. What would he want from her? Jen: at 12:28 PM Huh. A lot of people had reasons to be pissed at Larkin but no one had ever expressed it by apologizing to her. Felt odd. Larkin was pretty sure she should still be peeved but it was suddenly hard to come up with the conviction. "Uhhhm," Larkin said, helpfully. Sugar had just snapped back into her usual tracks and it was throwing Larkin out of hers. "Apologize. Yeah, you should do that. Explain. Uhm. A gift?" What kind of gift would make up for that, though? A dagger engraved with Sorry I ditched you? "Dunno, he likes... he wears rings. And a necklace I think." Coyote: at 12:35 PM "Huh." Sugar lapsed into silence. "Maybe I should just take him on a date. Maybe it doesn't have to be a... thing. Maybe he'd just like... you know. Attention." She regarded Larkin. Her posture was still wary, somehow, but different now, not angry, more like... confused. "Thanks," Sugar said. Talking that out had helped. She was pretty sure she'd figured it out. "Um, sorry I hurt your best friend? And I'm still sorry I upset you, too. Even if that just makes you mad?" She paused, about to go. Then thought better of it, dallying a moment. Jen: at 12:44 PM Larkin listened, mouth hanging half open. Then she snapped it shut and sighed, relaxing a bit. "Look," she said and waved a hand. "Don't be... don't be sorry about upsetting me, that's not the point, alright? It's... ah fuck, okay I fucking believe you. You didn't wanna hurt him. And I guess I was a jerk about it. It's just-" She shrugged and gestured at Sugar. "How? I don't fucking get it. Just to be clear, I don't think you're stupid, alright? Not really. But you... I mean, how do people like you even live? How can you just be so damn nice?" Larkin became aware she was rambling and cut it out. Hell, that was awkward. She cleared her throat and looked aside. "Anyway. Uhm, a date, yeah. That's a good idea. You can also get him something interesting. Some weird magic shit, he likes that." Coyote: at 12:48 PM "Huh." Sugar blinked, wide blue eyes and khol-black lashes. "That sounds perfect. Thanks. Um." She paused longer, not sure how to ask this. "Um-- it's okay that you're a jerk. Honestly, I like that better than... y'know, people treating me like a child. I hate that. Thanks for, y'know, not holding back." She paused even longer, this time. "D'you want to fight sometime?" she asked seriously. "With Goro around, so that if I accidentally stab your neck you don't die. That would be awful. I'm trying to learn how to use daggers." She mimed cutting something. Larkin was small, like her. Hansel would help her learn how to fight more, but Hansel was big, and the techniques that worked for him didn't work that well for Sugar. Neither did Mishka's techniques, really; Nixie had no interest or desire learning to use a rapier. Jen: at 12:59 PM Larkin huffed out a laugh, incredulous. Mask knew what was going on in that head. For a moment, Larkin considered brushing it off, telling her she had no time to teach knife fighting and no desire to be friends with Sugar. But that seemed unneccessarily dickish. And not in the way Sugar weirdly seemed to like. Instead, she smirked and patted Sugar on the cheek. "Hun, I know you can blast me to pieces with that fireball but if we're playing knives, you're the one who's gonna need patching up." Larkin stepped back and looked at the sky for a clue about the hour. "Anyway, we can talk about that some other time. I guess. Gotta go now, so... yeah." She waved. Coyote: at 1:02 PM Sugar snorted when Larkin patted her on the cheek and brushed her hand away. "Bye," she said. She flicked her hand over her should and trotted down the street. END Coyote: at 9:22 PM Larkin and Sugar (Counterpoint). Larkin and Sugar have a vicious argument about Goro, then make up. Category:Text Roleplay